New Zealand is actively improving school acoustics with government-led initiatives

Abstract

New Zealand's Ministry of Education is taking active steps to ensure that the country's 35,000+ classrooms are fit for purpose. Acoustics is a primary factor in central government's School Property Strategy 2030, which has informed three major initiatives to establish and implement sensible acoustic regulations. All three initiatives are underway. First is the Designing Quality Learning Spaces (DQLS) - Acoustics document, launched in December 2020. It sets out mandatory requirements for reverberation time (RT), background noise and sound insulation in new and refurbished learning spaces. Second is the Ngā Iti Kahurangi 'small and remote schools' programme. We are measuring RTs in 630 schools, assessing compliance with DQLS and adding absorption where necessary. The plan is to scale this programme up to include many more schools across the country. Third is the Internal Environmental Monitoring (IEM) programme. Sound levels (and other environmental factors like temperature, humidity and CO2) are continuously measured in a range of schools, and reviewed to inform improvements. These initiatives aim to provide quality learning environments for New Zealand children, and this paper sets out how they have been designed and implemented. Similar initiatives could be adopted by other countries to improve acoustic quality in their classrooms.